Prophylactic device



April 16, 1963 s. PENKSA PROPHYLACTIC DEVICE Filed June 20, 1962 1 I I I l I I I l I 1 I l I I r INVENTOR. STANLEY PENKS ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 'i Patented Apr. 15, 1963 3,tl8S,5'79 PRPHYLACTEC DEVECE Staniey Penksa, Worcester, NY. Filed .inne 2d, 1962, Ser. No. 2%,910 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-132) rThis invention relates to prophylactic devices' of the type used to prevent the tr'ansmission of venereal diseases.

Sealed prophylactics in common use are inclined to exert a iback pressure, upon the discharge of semen, against the prostate with consequent injurious effects. Attempts have been made to remedy this defect by providing an enlarged protuberance on the discharge end of the cylindrical body of the prophylactic, but it has been found that such structurcs not only do not materially reduce the said back pressure but they also tend to injure the uterus.

it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide 'an improved prophylactic which will substantially reduce or completely eliminate the above objectionable characteristics.

The above 'broad as well as additional and more specifie objects will ybe clarified in the following description wherein reference numerals re-fer to like-numbered parts in the aecornpanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended primarily 'for the purp'ose of illustration and that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the eXact details shown or 'deseribed except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring 'briefiy to the drawing, PIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one form of a prophylactic device embodyin'g features of the present invention.

PIG. 2 is partly a side elevational view and partly a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a modified form of the invention.

PIG. 4 is partly a side elevational view and partly a longitudinal sectional view of the form shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a further modified form of the invention.

'FIC 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of PIG. 5.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numerals 10, 10a and ltib indicate the prophylactics in, respectively, FIGS. 1 `and 2, FIGS. 3 and 4, and FIGS. 5 and 6.

The device 111 is of unitary construction made, as is custornary, of a thin elastic material such as ruhber, land it includes the cylindrical body 11 which is of 'substantially constant 'diameter and the head or front end 12. It will be noted that the head 12 is rounded to form an approximately semi-cylindrical extension from the 'body 11. The junction of the head with the body 1-1 is indicated in FIG. 2 -by the transverse phantom line 13. The outermost (left-hand, FIG. 2) extremity of the head, instead of being roun'ded, is a flat disc-shaped portion 14 lying in a plane at right angles to the axis of the `ibody 11. For a distance longitudinally rearward of the portion 14-, Ithe head 12 is provided with arcuate folds or creases 15 which radiate divergently rearward from the 'circumferential edge of the portion 14 to what may be termed the base of the creased portion of the head and which is indicated in FIG. 2 by the phantom line 16. Thus the head 12, reading from left to right, PIG. 2, consists of the fiat disc portion 14, the annular creased portion 17, and the annular smooth portion 18 between the Phantom lines 16 and 13.

Upon the discharge of semen it will be noted that the pressure exerted against the head 12 will cause unfolding of the creases 15 with consequent expansion of the creased portion 17 vto take up `the said pressure and provide room to be oocupied by the semen, without exerting a back pressure upon the prostate. The smooth surface of the flat disc portion 14, under these conditions, will obviously not provide an injurious effect upon :the uterus.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, parts which are relatively like parts of the structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, bear li'ke reference numerals followed by the suflix a. In this form of the device it will be noted that the disc portion 14a has a larger diameter than the portion 14, and that the base line 16a of the creased portion 17a is` positioned farther back than the line 16. Consequently, 'a larger .area of the exp'andible creased portion is provided, as well as a larger area of the fiat disc portion 14a.

in the modification illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the expandable creased portion 17h extends from the disc portion Mb all the way 'back to the phantoin line 13h, whence no equivalent to the annular portion 18a is provided. In these figures also parts which .are relatively like parts in the other figures' of the drawing bear similar reference numbers followed by the sufiix b. As a consequence of the structure shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the expandable portion 17h is substantially larger than its equivalent shown in FIGS. 1-4, thus providing substantially more room for 'discharged semen.

In .all of the forms illustrated in the 'drawing it is to be noted that expansion (of the creased portion 17, 17a or 171)) takes place almost entirely in radial -directions with respect to the axis of the device. This eharaeteristic not only minimizes back pressure upon the prostate but also minimjzes injury to the uterus in lthat no forward pressure is applied against the uterus during such expansion.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to the stru'ctures shown in the drawing such is not to be construed as a limitation upon the invention which is best defined in the acco'rnpanying -cl'airns.

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed `and 'desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as |follows:

1. A prophylactic device comprising a unitary hollow member of thin elastic material including a cylindrical |body portion open 'at the rear end and a rounded head closing 1the front end thereof, the head having a flat discshaped portion at the outer extremity thereof coaxial with and t right angles to the axis of `the 'body and of lesser diameter than the body, the annular portion of the head between the body and said disc-shaped portion having circurnferentially spaced arcuate creases therein extending radially from the cir'cumferential edge of said disc-'shaped portion whereby upon dschar'ge of semen into the device with consequent increase of pressure within said head said annular portion 'of the head exp'ands almost entirely radially with respect to said axis rather than longitudinally along the axis.

2. A prophylactic device according to claimy 1, the circumferential junction line of said head with said body lying in a plane parallel with the pl'ane of said disc-shaped portion, said creases terminating at said junction line.

3. A prophylactic device according to claim 1, the circumferential junction line of said head with said body lying in a plane parallel with the plane of said discshaped portion, said creases terminating in a ciroumferential line lying in a plane sp'aced between said iirst-named and said second-named planes.

Epstein Oct. 16, 1928 Wayne Sept. 7, 1948 

1. A PROPHYLACTIC DEVICE COMPRISING A UNITARY HOLLOW MEMBER OF THIN ELASTIC MATERIAL INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION OPEN AT THE REAR END AND A ROUNDED HEAD CLOSING THE FRONT END THEREOF, THE HEAD HAVING A FLAT DISCSHAPED PORTION AT THE OUTER EXTREMITY THEREOF COAXIAL WITH AND AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE AXIS OF THE BODY AND OF LESSER DIAMETER THAN THE BODY, THE ANNULAR PORTION OF THE HEAD BETWEEN THE BODY AND SAID DISC-SHAPED PORTION HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED ARCUATE CREASES THEREIN EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE OF SAID DISC-SHAPED PORTION WHEREBY UPON DISCHARGE OF SEMEN INTO THE DEVICE WITH CONSEQUENT INCREASE OF PRESSURE WITHIN SAID HEAD SAID ANNULAR PORTION OF THE HEAD EXPANDS ALMOST ENTIRELY RADIALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIS RATHER THAN LONGITUDINALLY ALONG THE AXIS. 